5 stars for saving electricity

RBI bags certificates for its energy efficient buildings

government and private organizations are queuing up for five star ratings for their office buildings from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (bee). The Bureau rates buildings on a scale of one to five depending on how efficiently they use energy. The scheme is voluntary and was launched in February 2009.

The Reserve Bank of India (rbi) has filed applications for 15 of its buildings; Central Public Works Department, some state buildings and itc are among the other applicants. bee has received 50 applications from all over the country till now. "The prime objective of the scheme is to create a demand for energy efficient buildings," said Sanjay Seth, energy economist (buildings) with bee. The rating assesses energy efficiency of five categories of buildings--offices, hotels, retail malls and IT parks.